Director: The Harry Crossley Children's Nursing Development Unit at University of Cape Town

Requirements:

• A Professional Nurse with 5 years’ paediatric experience.
• A PhD in a relevant field (e.g. nursing, health professions, public health, sociology, social anthropology, social development).
• A strong and sustained research track record, including peer-reviewed publications consistent with appointment at Associate Professor or Professor level (UCT benchmark: at least 10 publications over the past 5 years for Associate Professor).
• A demonstrable track record of securing and/or contributing significantly to the development and management of substantial external funding, including multi-year grants.
• A demonstrable track record of securing and managing substantial external funding, including multi-year grants, ideally at scale comparable to or exceeding R10 million per annum.
• Experience in developing and sustaining strategic partnerships across academic, health system, government, and non-governmental sectors.
• Knowledge and experience of current debates in African health systems, higher education, policy and workforce development.  
• Ability to lead a diverse team and create an inclusive and supportive organisational culture.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Advantages:

• A qualification in paediatric nursing.
• Experience in postgraduate programme leadership (e.g. convening or directing Master’s programmes).
• A track record of successful postgraduate supervision (Master’s and/or PhD).
• Experience in participatory methods, applied practice improvement, implementation science.
• Experience of measurement and evaluation processes.
• Experience working at national level across multiple African countries or regions.
• Experience leading the development and securing of major grants at scale (e.g. comparable to or exceeding R10 million per annum).

Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic and intellectual leadership of the 2027–2029 strategic plan through Afrocentric transformative and socially engaged education, responsive research and evidence-based practice.
• Lead postgraduate education and academic development, including programme convenership, contribution to Master’s-level teaching, and innovation (including online and blended delivery), plus  supervision of postgraduate students.  
• Lead and grow a high-impact research programme, advancing Afrocentric scholarship and strengthening the Unit’s international profile through the generation and translation of evidence into contextually appropriate guidelines, models, and tools for practice, and through the academic development of staff and students.
• Develop the Unit’s position as sectoral lead contributing to global knowledge about African health systems and ensuring that the Unit’s work informs policy and system-level transformation, through leading continent-wide communities of practice, advancing health workforce research and fostering partnerships with researchers, educators, ministries, and funders.
• Ensure organisational sustainability through strategic fundraising, directing the growth and stewardship of a multi-year fundraising strategy, currently equating to budgeted R12 million per annum.
• Develop and manage a high-performing, diverse team through a strong ethos of excellence, collaboration and accountability, and with an inclusive, supportive organisational culture.

Closing date:   17 May 2026